Winstrol is one of the most popular and well-known anabolic steroids on earth. Developed by Winthrop Laboratories in the late 1950’s, this is an anabolic steroid that has gotten a lot of media attention over the years. In fact, those who have never used anabolicsteroids, if they can name a steroid it’s usually Winstrol or Stanozolol.
The name Winstrol is actually the most commonly associated brand name
of the Stanozolol hormone. This is an anabolic steroid that has garnered
worldwide attention due to numerous athletic scandals over the years.
When various athletes have been caught using anabolic steroids, Winstrol
has been at the forefront of the scandal countless times. In fact, it
is associated with the most important athletic steroid scandal in
history.

In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for the steroid
after taking the gold at that year’s Summer Olympics. Not only did
Johnson destroy his competition, he handedly defeated the highly favored
Carl Lewis with relative ease. This would lead to Stanozolol making
countless news headlines for a very long time and more importantly truly
usher in the U.S. government’s war on steroids. The Johnson scenario is
not the largest athletic based steroid scandal to ever occur, which
would probably belong to the decades long East German doping machine;
however, the Johnson scandal would have the largest impact. When Ben
Johnson destroyed the U.S. golden boy, many point to this as being the
final nail in the coffin that the U.S. congress needed to justify
classifying anabolic steroids as Schedule III controlled substances.

While one of the more well-known anabolic steroids, Winstrol is very
popular among most in the steroid using population. It is in many ways a
fairly mild anabolic steroid that can be safely used by men and women.
Equally important, it has proven highly effective for numerous
performance enhancement endeavors. It is a long standing favorite among
competitive bodybuilders
and physique based athletes during cutting or contest prep phases. It
is also a top steroid of choice for numerous performance athletes due to
its ability to promote strength and endurance without unwanted mass.

Beyond performance enhancement, Winstrol has had a lot of success in
modern medicine. It has been successfully used to combat lean tissue
wasting and has had a lot of success in preserving bone mass in cases of
osteoporosis.
Winstrol has also been used to combat prolonged exposure to
corticosteroid treatment, given to burn victims and even used to aid in
the healing of severe bone fractures. The steroid has also enjoyed a
little success in treating obesity when hormonal assistance is needed,
as well as treating delayed growth in some children. As the years have
passed, Winstrol has remained available for treatment for most of these
conditions as well as being proven highly successful in treating
angioedema among a few other treatment plans such as specific forms of
breast cancer. The steroid has never lost FDA approval and unlike many
anabolic steroids has maintained approval for numerous therapeutic
treatment plans.

Winstrol Functions & Traits:

Stanozolol is a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) derived anabolic androgenic steroid,
or more specifically a structurally altered form. Stanozolol is the DHT
hormone with two structural changes that give us the Winstrol compound.
The first alteration is the introduction of an attached pyrazol group
at the A-ring of the hormone replacing the 3-keto group. This
modification officially classifies Stanozolol as a heterocyclic steroid.
The hormone also carries an added methyl group in order to protect
hormone after administration. This structural change takes place at the
17th carbon position officially classifying Stanozolol as a C17-alpha alkylated (C17-aa) anabolic steroid.

Due the combination of structural changes, this reduces the hormone’s
androgenicity significantly and greatly increases its anabolic power.
Officially Winstrol carries an anabolic rating of 320 and an androgenic
rating of 20. More importantly, its ratings translate perfectly in real
life effects giving us an extremely beneficial anabolic steroid.

Winstrol carries many positive steroidal traits, one of which is its
ability to lower Sex-Hormone-Binding-Globulin (SHBG) significantly. This
allows for more of the steroids being supplied to rest in an unbound
state, as well as provides an increase in free testosterone.
While many anabolic steroids lower SHBG Winstrol appears to have a much
stronger affinity than most. In fact, studies have demonstrated nearly
50% reductions in SHBG in mere days of use and even at relatively low
doses.

Beyond a reduction in SHBG, which is one of its primary traits,
Winstrol will enhance protein synthesis and greatly increase nitrogen
retention in the muscles. The steroid will also do a fairly decent job
at increasing red blood cell count and inhibiting glucocorticoid
hormones but not to the degree of many other steroids. In many ways, we
have a mild yet evenly possession of some basic steroidal traits coupled
with the dramatic SHBG reduction that gives us a controllable and
unique compound. This really is one of the easiest anabolic steroids to
understand.

When looking at the direct functions and traits of Winstrol there is
one more issue we need to discuss. The Stanozolol hormone is both an
injectable an oral anabolic steroid. Both forms are comprised of the
same identical Stanozolol hormone. 1mg of one form is the same as 1mg of
the other form. Some studies have suggested oral Winstrol may reduce
SHBG a little more than its injectable counterpart, while others have
said injectable forms may be slightly more potent on an overall
milligram for milligram basis. However, overall these appear to be
rather insignificant differences regardless of the direction they go. In
fact, the individual should be able to receive the same identical
benefits with either form.

Another important note often misunderstood about Winstrol forms is
the C17-aa nature. Both oral and injectable Stanozolol are C17-aa
anabolic steroids. Most oral steroids are C17-aa and while injectable steroids rarely are injectable Stanozolol is one of the exceptions. The injectable form is also commonly referred to as Winstrol Depot.

Effects of Winstrol:

Although used to stave off lean tissue wasting, Winstrol is not what we’d call a bulking steroid.
You will rarely find this steroid in an off-season mass gaining stack.
However, it could be used in an effort to enhance the activity of the
other steroids being used due to the strong SHBG reduction it will
provide but this is generally not recommended. When we dive into the
side effects of Winstrol, we will find it is very hepatotoxic and use
should be limited to when it’s most valuable. For the male athlete, this
will not be during the bulking phase.

When it comes to off-season bulking, we could make more of an
exception with female use. Females are far more sensitive to the steroid
and short burst plans could be very beneficial during this phase. But
again, there are probably better options.

The effects of Winstrol are undoubtedly most beneficial to direct
performance enhancement of an athletic nature. We’re talking about
functional competitive athletes, not bodybuilders or physique athletes.
This steroid has the ability to greatly increase strength and this can
translate into both power and speed. Further, it will accomplish this
without adding a lot of additional weight that could hinder some
depending on the sport, as well as cause unwanted attention from prying
eyes. There have been those who have said Winstrol isn’t good for
competitive athletes, especially those athletes in explosive sports due
to potential weakening of the tendons but this is more or less message
board anecdotal hysteria that supports this claim. In fact, many studies
have shown it can have a positive impact on strengthening tendons and
we already know it’s good for the bones. If not, it wouldn’t be used to
treat osteoporosis.

There are also some who complain of joint pain when using Winstrol.
As a steroid that does not aromatize there will be no water retention
but the “dry feeling” may not be what many think it is. Most who use the
steroid will be physique athletes or gym rats during a cutting phase.
They will also typically add it into a plan late in the diet once
they’re already lean. Typically, when you become very lean, bodybuilding
lean, this makes the joints a little uncomfortable. With or without
Winstrol this discomfort could potentially exist. As for pro athletes
who have nearly every last steroid at their disposal, remember, if
Winstrol weren’t effective in competitive sports so many athletes
wouldn’t make it a primary and favorite choice. In fact, the combo of
Winstrol with low doses of Nandrolone
is a very common stack among many athletes, and this stack will greatly
eliminate any potential joint discomfort should it exist.

Beyond athletics, the gym rat or bodybuilding effects of Winstrol
will be best displayed once you’re already somewhat lean. The steroid
will help produce a dryer, harder look but only if you’re relatively
lean. It will also aid in lean tissue preservation but not to a very
strong degree that’s often needed in such a phase. It’s typically
recommended that Winstrol only be used in this capacity as a secondary
steroid, not a base or foundational steroid.

Both men and women can greatly benefit from Winstrol during the
cutting phase. While it won’t be the best lean tissue preserver, many
report maintaining more of their strength that is often lost when
dieting when Winstrol is in play. Vascularity should also become more
pronounced and overall the individual should enjoy an overall
enhancement in definition.

Side Effects of Winstrol:

The side effects of Winstrol most certainly exist, but they largely
fall into the category of possible rather than guaranteed. The side
effects of Winstrol can be controlled but it will take some effort on
your part. There is also always the issue of individual response. We all
respond to different things differently. This not only holds true with
various anabolic steroids but all things we put into our body. Most of
use can take Aspirin, but there are others who will experience horrible
side effects if they touch the first pill. Most of us can tolerate dairy
products, but there are others who become very sick if they even look
at a glass of milk. Individual response dictates quite a lot. With that
in mind, in order to help you understand the possible side effects of
Winstrol we have broken them down into their separate categories along
with all you’ll need to know.

[1] Estrogenic:

Winstrol is not estrogenic. This anabolic steroid does not aromatize
at all making estrogenic side effects of Winstrol use an impossibility.
This steroid cannot cause gynecomastia
or excess water retention. Water retention is normally the primary
cause of steroid related high blood pressure. High blood pressure is
still possible but the odds are highly in your favor when healthy
lifestyle choices are made. This also assumes no underlying issues
exist.

[2] Androgenic:

Androgenic side effects of Winstrol are possible. However, while
possible this steroid does not produce a lot of androgenic activity.
Acne and accelerated hair loss in those predisposed to male pattern
baldness are all possible. While possible, they are strongly linked to
genetic predispositions. If you are not predisposed to male pattern
baldness you will not lose any hair. Acne is similar as those who are
genetically sensitive to acne will be the first to have a problem.
Keeping your skin clean and dry at all times will offer a lot of
protection.

In order to combat androgenic side effects of any anabolic steroid, many often turn to 5-alpha reductase inhibitors like Finasteride.
However, this will not work with all steroids and it will not work with
Winstrol at all. Such inhibitors work by inhibiting the reduction of
testosterone to DHT, which occurs due to the testosterone hormone being
metabolized by the 5-alpha reductase enzyme. The 5-alpha reductase
enzyme does not metabolize the Stanozolol hormone; after all, it’s
already DHT.

The androgenic side effects of Winstrol can also include virilization in
women. Virilization symptoms include body hair growth, a deepening of
the vocal chords and clitoral enlargement. Many women can supplement
with the Stanozolol hormone without such effects occurring but they
will need to keep the dose rather low. If the dose is kept low, due to
the low androgenicity of the hormone many women will avoid virilization.
However, the issue of individual response always comes into play. If
for any reason virilization symptoms begin to show, if use is
discontinued at their onset they will fade away rapidly. If the symptoms
are ignored and use continues, the symptoms may very well become
irreversible.

[3] Cardiovascular:

Of all the potential side effects of Winstrol those surrounding
cardiovascular strain, particularly cholesterol carry the greatest
probability. The Stanozolol hormone is well known for reducing HDL
cholesterol (good cholesterol) and increasing LDL cholesterol (bad
cholesterol).

Oral C17-aa anabolic steroids are all well known for having a much
stronger, negative effect on cholesterol management and oral Winstrol is
no different. As for injectable Winstrol Depot, it can potentially have
the same effect as it too is a C17-aa anabolic steroid. Regardless of
the form of Winstrol you choose, the issue of cholesterol will be a
concern.

Although Winstrol can be very harsh on cholesterol, it is possible to
supplement without any significant strain but it will take some effort
on your part. If you already suffer from high cholesterol you should not
touch this steroid. If you are healthy enough for use, it will be
imperative that you keep an eye on your cholesterol. In order to promote
healthy levels it is also recommended that your diet be rich in omega
fatty acids. Supplementing daily with fish oils is recommended, as is
limiting saturated fats and simple sugars. You may also want to consider
a cholesterol antioxidant formula and always ensure you perform plenty
of cardiovascular training in your routine.

[4] Testosterone:

Winstrol is significantly suppressive to natural testosterone
production. It will not completely suppress production but it will put
the individual into a low testosterone
state if exogenous testosterone is not applied. All men who supplement
with the Stanozolol hormone can easily avoid a low testosterone
condition if they simultaneously supplement with some form of exogenous
testosterone. Women will not need exogenous testosterone therapy.

Once all steroid use
comes to an end, natural testosterone production will begin again on
its own. However, it will take quite some time for your levels to return
to normal. For this reason, most men are encouraged to implement a Post
Cycle Therapy (PCT) plan post anabolic steroid use. A PCT plan will
stimulate natural production and enable your levels to climb up faster
than they would otherwise. It will not bring your levels back to normal
on its own, there is no PCT plan on earth that can do this. However, it
will ensure you have enough testosterone for proper bodily function
while your levels continue to naturally rise.

Important notes on natural testosterone recovery; natural recovery
assumes no prior low testosterone condition existed. It also assumes the
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular-Axis (HPTA) was not severely damaged
due to improper supplementation practices.

[5] Hepatotoxic:

Winstrol is a hepatotoxic anabolic steroid as are all C17-aa anabolic
steroids. However, the stress a C17-aa steroid can cause the liver will
vary greatly depending on the C17-aa steroid in question. Winstrol is
far more hepatotoxic than Anavar (Oxandrolone) on a per milligram basis, but it appears to be less hepatotoxic on a per milligram basis than steroids like Dianabol (Methandrostenolone).

When using this steroid liver enzyme values will go up. Low doses do not
appear to produce a lot of strain, but keep in mind as the dose goes up
more strain exist. It’s also important to remember elevated enzyme
levels does not equate to damage but is rather an indicator of stress.
However, damage can occur and it will take proper action and proper
steps to avoid any damage. If your liver is not healthy, for no reason
should you use this steroid.

If you are healthy enough for use, total use should be limited to 6-8
weeks and no other C17-aa steroids should be used for at least 6-8 weeks
after discontinuing use. An even longer gap between periods of use
would be better. During use, it is also important that you avoid all
excess alcohol consumption. Excess consumption alone is very stressful
to the liver and when combined with a C17-aa steroid it only enhances
the stress. Many will find avoiding all alcohol to be best as alcohol is
one of the most anti-performance substances we can put into our body.
Beyond alcohol, avoiding all over the counter medications where possible
is advised. Many over the counter medications are very stressful to the
liver. In fact, some are more hepatotoxic than many anabolic steroids.
Use of over the counter medications should be limited to when only
absolutely necessary. It is also recommended that you supplement with a
liver detoxification supplement during the use of Winstrol or any C17-aa
steroid. If you follow these rules, while enzyme values will increase,
if there is no underlying issue values should return to normal shortly
after use is discontinued and no damage will be done.

Final note on hepatotoxicity, both oral and injectable Winstrol are
hepatotoxic. If you want to avoid all liver stress you should avoid all
C17-aa steroids regardless of them being oral or injectable.

Winstrol Administration:

In a therapeutic setting, standard male oral Winstrol doses normally
fall in the 2mg range around three times per day. Females are normally
given 4mg per day or two 2mg doses and if virilization symptoms do not
occur it is often increased to 6mg per day. When injectable Winstrol is
prescribed, it is normally given at a dose of 50mg every 2-3 weeks for
both male and female patients.

In performance circles, standard male Winstrol doses will normally
fall in the 25-50mg range. 25mg per day of oral Winstrol or 50mg every
other day of injectable Winstrol is very commonplace. Such doses are
enough to produce solid results in any man and should be very
controllable in terms of side effects. For those who are more
bodybuilding minded, 50mg per day of either form is very common with
some taking the dose as high as 100mg per day. These high end doses are
normally not recommended outside of competitive bodybuilding circles,
there’s no need for them. However, if truly lean, contest lean a 7-10
day run at a high end dose leading up to the show could produce some
nice finishing touches. However, due to the hepatotoxic nature and
potential cholesterol issues, high end doses should for no reason last
more than 7-10 days. Total use should fall in the 6-8 week range.

For the female performance athlete, oral Winstrol is normally the way to
go as they will be using low doses. 5mg per day is normally all any
women will need, but some women may be able to tolerate 10mg per day.
You should not attempt 10mg per day unless you have successfully used
5mg prior in another cycle, even then most will find 5mg per day is
enough. If injectable Winstrol is used, 20mg every 4 days is plenty but
you will find oral forms are truly the way to go in this case. It will
simply be more controllable. As for total use, use should fall within
the 4-6 week range.

Availability of Winstrol:

Winstrol is a commonly available anabolic steroid, but it is also one
that is commonly counterfeited. This is not a hard steroid to find, in
fact it should be fairly easy, but you will need to do a little digging
if you want to ensure your purchase is quality. You will find most all black market
suppliers carry the steroid; both oral and injectable forms are common
as are both human grade and underground forms. As with all anabolic
steroids, stick with human grade labels when you can. There are some
very good underground labs out there but they are heavily outnumbered by
garbage.

When looking for a quality brand, you can’t go wring with Azolol by
British Dispensary. The original Winstrol brand is also still available
now through Desma out of Spain and while counterfeits do not appear to
be a big problem it won’t be a cheap product. Actually all Stanozolol
will be a little costly compared to many other steroids but shouldn’t be
as high as some compounds. Alpha Pharma also carries a high quality
line of Stanozolol called Rexobol in oral form and Rexogin in injectable
form. You will find numerous other brands available and if you
thoroughly research the brand and the supplier in question you should
have no problems at all.